The golden era of 3D platformers left a lasting impression on many gamers, and Duskfade is looking to recapture that same sense of adventure for a new generation. Developed by Weird Beluga and published by Fireshine Games, the upcoming action-platformer blends fast-paced traversal, satisfying combat and a heartfelt story, all set within a beautifully realised clockpunk world.
Launching on 13th August for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam, Duskfade follows the journey of Zirian as he battles through a world consumed by eternal night in a desperate quest to rescue his sister and uncover the secrets of the Master Clockmakers.
Ahead of the game’s launch, we caught up with the team at Weird Beluga to discuss the inspiration behind Duskfade, creating its stunning clockpunk world, developing the game across Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, and what players can expect when they step into Zirian’s adventure.
Q&A With Weird Beluga – Developers of Duskfade (Releasing 13th August)
For those who may be discovering Weird Beluga for the first time, could you introduce the studio and tell us a little about yourselves?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“Weird Beluga is a Spanish game development studio. Our first title was Clid the Snail, a game about a grumpy snail. Right now, we’re on the verge of releasing our second game, Duskfade, which is a much more ambitious project. On a personal level, I can’t wait for players to finally experience the game we’ve created and poured so much effort, passion, and care into.”
Where did the original idea for Duskfade come from, and what inspired the game’s unique clockpunk setting?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“At the very beginning, when the team consisted of just a programmer and myself as the artist, I started brainstorming different ideas for the main character’s weapon. I wanted something inspired by Kingdom Hearts, but with a style that was uniquely our own.
I explored several concepts before deciding that a clock-based weapon would be the most interesting choice, especially because it offered so much potential for different transformations and abilities. Once we had that core gameplay concept built around the weapon, everything else naturally evolved from it. The worlds, characters, lore, and overall mythology were all designed around this clockpunk vision, applying the theme consistently across the environments, story, and cast.”
Duskfade clearly draws inspiration from some of the most beloved 3D platformers ever made. Which games had the biggest influence on the project, and how did you ensure it still feels like its own experience?
(Ricardo Chorques Mesa – Narrative designer)
“We’re proud to say that our biggest gameplay inspirations are Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter, games that defined both a genre and a generation, and ones we have a great deal of love for. More recent influences include 2024’s Game of the Year, Astro Bot, as well as Alice: Madness Returns.
Even with such iconic titles as reference points, we made sure every mechanic was carefully adapted to fit Duskfade, especially Zirian’s movement. We wanted players to feel a sense of familiarity the moment they pick up the controller, while still having to learn and master a movement style that’s uniquely our own.”
The game combines platforming, combat and exploration seamlessly. How did you approach balancing those three core gameplay elements throughout development?
(Esteban)
“Lots of work. Trial and error, and as much testing as possible. Grayboxing was crucial for finding the right balance between the pillars you mentioned. In addition to professional testing, which was less frequent and on specific dates, I often had my teammates playing the new stuff to find the sweet spot.”
Without venturing into spoiler territory, what can players expect from Zirian’s journey, and what themes did you want the story to explore?
(Ricardo Chorques Mesa – Narrative designer,)
“Zirian’s journey is filled with heartbreaking and deeply emotional moments, but also plenty of warmth, humor, and tenderness. At its core, Duskfade is a story about family, loss, and forgiveness, and we wanted to explore those themes in a way that feels both heartfelt and hopeful.”
Zirian’s mechanical companion, Cuckoo, looks to play an important role throughout the adventure. Can you tell us more about the character and how they complement the gameplay?
(Ricardo Chorques Mesa – Narrative designer,)
“For the kind of game Duskfade is, we couldn’t resist including an adorable companion.Cuckoo supports Zirian in combat, and players can upgrade its projectiles throughout the adventure to make it an even more valuable ally.
That said, Cuckoo’s true importance lies in the story. As Zirian and Cuckoo journey together, they each go through their own emotional arc, always supporting one another along the way.”
The environments shown so far are incredibly diverse and visually striking. Was there a particular location or level that the team especially enjoyed creating?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“We genuinely enjoyed creating every environment in the game, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be the Celestial Kingdom.
I think this is the area where we really pushed ourselves artistically and delivered some of the game’s most spectacular visuals. It also features varied, fast-paced platforming that I believe players are going to love. I don’t want to reveal too much, though—I would much rather people experience it for themselves.”
Every game has its challenges. What has been the biggest hurdle you’ve faced during the development of Duskfade, whether technically or creatively?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“The biggest challenge is sticking to the plan!
Whenever you’re making a game, you come up with hundreds of exciting ideas, and naturally you want to include all of them. But you have to be disciplined and choose only the strongest ideas—those that truly complement one another and serve the overall experience.
Otherwise, you can easily end up with a project that grows out of control and becomes impossible to finish. You have to be careful not to let enthusiasm get in the way of making a great game. Looking back, though, I’m very happy with the decisions we made, and I’m confident we chose the right ideas.”
Duskfade is launching simultaneously on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. Was designing for multiple platforms always part of the vision, and how did that shape development?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“Once we signed with our publisher, Fireshine, we knew Duskfade would be launching simultaneously across multiple platforms. Because of that, we started adapting the game from the very beginning to ensure it would perform well on all of them.
The most interesting challenge was Nintendo Switch 2. We knew we had to build a game that would run on the console, even though it hadn’t been released yet. Developing for hardware that wasn’t publicly available made that process especially unique.”
Developing for several platforms can bring unique challenges. How did you ensure players receive the best possible experience regardless of where they choose to play?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“Personally, I spent a huge amount of time optimizing the game and running countless tests to make sure it performs as well as possible on every platform.
It has also been a fascinating learning experience for me, and I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of optimization throughout the development process.”
With Nintendo Switch 2 joining the launch lineup, did the newer hardware allow you to approach that version differently compared to previous-generation consoles?
(Diego Redondo González- Art Director)
“Despite the hardware limitations that every console inevitably has, we’ve been able to deliver a fantastic experience on Nintendo Switch 2—something that simply wouldn’t have been possible on previous Nintendo generations.
Its increased performance compared to its predecessor has given us much more freedom to express our artistic vision while still delivering a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
As an Xbox-focused publication, we’d love to hear more about the Xbox version. What was your approach to optimising Duskfade for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?
(José Andujar – Producer)
“We take into consideration Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, so we optimized the game for being both platforms to have the best optimized version on each case.”
Were there any Xbox development tools, features or workflows that proved particularly helpful while bringing Duskfade to Microsoft’s platform?
(José Andujar – Producer)
“To be honest, we have a bast amount of experience working on console porting (Jandu) and our previous experience was the best thing bringing Duskfade to Microsoft most helpful part of bringing Duskfade to Microsoft.”
Are there any Xbox-specific features or enhancements that players can look forward to, such as Quick Resume, HDR, achievements, or other platform-specific optimisations?
(José Andujar – Producer)
“The game supports Quick Resume, achievements and it’s XPA compatible (so people can enjoy the game on their Xbox Console and continue playing on their PC), I think this could be the best feature of the game.”
If you had one message for Xbox players who are considering picking up Duskfade this August, what would you like them to know?
(José Andujar – Producer)
“Regarding Xbox Players, I hope they enjoy our must important title and give us support so we can continue working on Xbox platform on future projects.”
Quick Fire Round
What’s your favourite video game of all time?
Minecraft / Outer Wilds
What’s your favourite gaming genre?
Sandbox or Tycoons / Action Adventure
Which developer or studio has inspired you the most?
Airship Syndicate / Acid Nerve
What have you been playing recently?
A lot of testing on Duskfade xD / Mina the Hollower
Finally, what’s next for Weird Beluga after the launch of Duskfade?
“We’re considering several possibilities, but it’s still too early to share any details. Right now, our focus is on making sure we have something truly solid and exciting before we reveal it to the community.”
Massive Thank you to the team at Weird Belunga for taking the time to answer our questions, and offering a little more insight into the development of Duskfade. We can’t wait share more, as we look forward to getting our hands on the game and sharing with you our thoughts.
We wish the developement team at Weird Beluga the very best, in what is surely an exciting time for them, and we’re sure the xbox community can’t wait to experience this exciting project, releasing August 13th.